advice needed for renting while on housing benefit with as child

[bigbird86]

Hi!

Ok so my situation is I've been in my private rented house for 6 years with my 8 year old son who has aspergers.Never a late rent payment or any issues. The landlord has said I'm the prefect tenant but sadly due to ill health and old age the landlord is looking to sell the house and will evict me once it's sold.
The problem I'm having is that I can't find anywhere to rent in my hometown. I claim housing benefit as I am a single mum but I do work so I've also an income, my son receives dla so that also tops up household income. So I'm capable of paying rent on time, I've also been lucky that my mum can lend me a deposit and first months rent up front, but no landlords will rent a house to me because I get housing benefit!

Some people have told me to lie about receiving benefits but I really don't want to lie and risk losing a house if the landlord found out.

Other people have advised me to leave the area to somewhere cheaper with more houses for rent but my son is in school and has his care workers here, also I need the support of my family who live locally. I don't drive so the upheaval of leaving my hometown would be massive, a new school and new job and a MASSIVE amount of stress for my son.

What do I do? ! The council won't house me until I'm living on the streets and even then I could end up in shared temporary accommodation. My son just could not handle it.
I don't need a council house, I can afford rent and I have deposit ready and waiting. It just seems rediculous to me.
Any advice would be much appreciated as I've no idea what I can do

Will your mum act as a guarantor for you? When I was renting a property out, the insurances wouldn't allow me to let to someone on benefits however with a guarantor it was fine. Alternatively have you spoken to the council and asked if they can recommend any landlords who are willing to take HB?

How many letting agents are out there in your area? Some landlords (mine for example ) will take hb tenants. I'm like you hb but working and SN children.
Don't wait for a property to come up. Go and see the agencies and tell them the situation. If I had to move I'd likely need a guarantor like PP suggests

When you've tried have you explained about the dla? I am just wondering as dla is a very stable benefit for income purposes, if you can use this to explain your circumstances does it make any difference?

Thanks for responses.
Yes my mum would happily be guarantor and I've been in to the letting agents (there are quite a few here) but as soon as you mention hb then it's just an instant No. A few of them have even said that I won't find anywhere in the area that will accept anyone on benefits. It's basically a snobbery factor in this area I think, house prices are really high anyway and a lot of people on benefits have been driven out of the area for the same reasons. I'm too stubborn to be driven out of the town I've grown up in and where my son is settled. I just know there must be something I can do, just not sure what it is yet.
I just don't think landlords should be able to discriminate against people on benefits

Could you look to rent directly from a landlord - have a look on Gumtree or similar? We weren't on HB but that's how we got our last place.

To add to that - it might be that by going direct to the landlord you can explain your situation and get round the letting agents' blanket "no".

It's not just landlords, its the agents too. We rented our house recently, as we have moved abroad with my husbands work. They said "and I assume the usual no pets, no smokers, no housing benifit, would you take kids?" Due to the info picked up on mn, I could tell them I would accept 3 from their list, but many may not have corrected the HB if that was the only assumption made.

Much more information about HB needs to be given, so that it looses its bad image.

Good luck finding a house.

Ask your landlord if he would consider marketing the property as an investment to another BTL landlord with a sitting tenant (i.e. you). I have seen properties advertised near me like this - instead of describing the aspirational lifestyle the purchaser could live in the property, the advertising focuses on ease of maintenance and the rental yield.

If he markets to would-be owner-occupiers he will need to evict you long before the sale goes through as no self-respecting solicitor will allow contracts to be signed while there is still a tenant occupying the place. You do have rights and could refuse to leave (not that I am advising this as it would destroy your future references) which would mean the purchasers had a mortgage on a property they could not legally occupy until after expensive court proceedings.

If you join the council house waiting list (which anyone can, obviously you won't be high on the priority list though) you will then become eligible to apply for purchasing a fraction of a shared-ownership property. What percentage of a house in your area could 3.5x your salary stretch to? If it's even as much as 20% this might be a feasible answer for you.

the default is 'no HB' but if you can get the agents to tell the landlords that you have a guarantor and a stable income (partly from salary) that may well help. Also stress your other good points; you are an adult who can look after a house and will flag up things that need fixing rather than ignore them, you don't smoke and don't have pets.

friends who tell you to commit fraud are not friends.

I think I'll give it a go dropping into letting agents and talk with them again about my situation.
I'm on the housing waiting list already for 5 years but still low priority obviously as I have a stable home up until now.
I was told by a lady at the council that I could just stay until bailiffs turn up and forcibly evict me which would buy me a few more months but I really wouldn't want to do that, the landlord has been lovely to me over the years.

I've explained to letting agents that my current house is in better condition now than when I first moved in as I have fixed minor things myself and painted.
I'd no idea that agents automatically state no dss unless specified though! I live in a small town so I'm site I could find out the landlords and approach them directly maybe. I'm sure with enough refrences and a deposit and first months rent up front that maybe they'd be willing to accept hb. I do have a cat though :/ it was recommended i got my son a pet by his psychologist when he was at a very low point with his aspergers, it's helped him cope so there's no way we could get rid of her :/

ok, a cat. Not the end of the world, again you need to sell your good points. Cats can be very destructive on carpets and woodwork so perhaps photos of your current place to show that this hasn't happened, and possibly offer a higher deposit. (I'm a landlord who happily allowed cats once and got very badly burnt...)

default will also be no pets so again, sell your good points. You sound like an excellent tenant, with the other advantage that you'd want to stay long term. Suggest looking for a BTL not a house where the landlord might want to move back in.

yes, you can stay until forcible eviction, which is very unpleasant all round, and the council accommodation offered may well be hostel or b and b.

Thanks specialsubject, I totally appreciate that some cats are really destructive and yes mine is very well behaved :) always flead and house trained, the only thing she did do was scratch the wooden patio doors one day when she decided to hang off it but I did sand it down and paint it after.

I'll also speak to my landlord and see what he thinks about selling with existing tenant in house.
Thank you for all your advice ladies :) I'm not feeling quite so lost with this now

I thought the no HB thing was because a landlords insurance doesn't allow any HB?

Not because they are being difficult or 'snobby'

I've been told by letting agents in the past that there is a certain stigma attached to hb and landlords think they will be a certain type of tenant. I understand certain btl mortgages and insurance terms can don't cover hb but that isn't in all cases or nobody would be able to rent their house to anyone on benefits at all

that's it, really. Some landlords can't, and some also won't.

If you've had a problem with a type of tenant then you will be reluctant to repeat it. That 'type' could be someone on HB, someone with pets, someone with kids, or someone single who then moved in the wrong kind of partner.

and yes, speak to your landlord about selling the place with you as an added bonus. If this happens, your deposit needs to be transferred across and you need formal notification of the details of the new landlord.

I'd be wary of your LL saying he will "evict you when the property is sold". That's not possible, all lenders require the property to be empty before completion UNLESS the buyer is purchasing with a buy to let mortgage (I.e they are buying the property to rent out rather than live in).

Personally I'd speak to your LL explain your situation and ask him to start the ball rolling re eviction NOW so you can try for a council property.

Ah ok I hadn't realised until mentioned today that LL can't sell with me still living here, I'm not sure he even realises to be honest :/ definitely something I'll bring up with him

*not sure he even realises

oh dear. This is a standard 'I want my cake and eat it' for clueless landlords and it doesn't work.

as mentioned, no reputable solicitor will allow exchange (let alone completion) until the tenant has gone. This is because the sec 21 is not an eviction and if the tenant doesn't go then the formal processes have to be followed. So if a landlord wants to sell, they need the tenant to leave FIRST. Yes, no rent due to empty property.

also the tenant does not have to allow viewings. Now, it may well be in the interest of the OP to allow viewings to prospective new landlords (win-win) but she holds the cards on that one.

oh, and 'evict me so I can get a council property' is also no guarantees. B and B or hostel are VERY possible. Property a long way away is also possible.

I'd allow viewings as I don't want to be a pain if I can help it. I really don't want to have to be forcibly evicted though and end up in a b&b.
My son has other mental health issues along with aspergers and moving away, moving school or having to live in any kind of shared accommodation would be horrendous for him. He won't even eat unless he's at school or home so staying in a b&b he just wouldn't eat. I know that may sound a bit melodramatic but I t really can get that bad.
I think my only real option by the looks of it is to go to every letting agency in town and put all the information to them, even invite them to view my current house to see how well its kept.
I'd find the situation easier to accept if I couldn't afford deposit etc but having everything there ready to rent and houses up for rent but nobody willing to rent to me is so infuriating and demoralising

those are good plans - your mission is to get past the agents because there ARE landlords out there who will take you.

as your landlord does sound clueless, perhaps time for a chat explaining the situation and seeing if you can help each other? He wants to sell, you want to stay. Those two 'wants' are not incompatible if another landlord comes along.

OP perhaps you would be better looking for a property on Gumtree or something...... As landlords who don't rent through agencies tend to be slightly less strict in respect to HB.

Thanks I have been trying on Gumtree but as yet none have come up. I live in a small town so properties are fairly limited compared to other areas. The landlords who don't go through letting agents seem to find tenants through friends of friends in the area. I'll keep looking though :)

Just to stress (and I sincerely hope it doesn't get to this stage)
The council will only have a duty to house you if you are forcibly evicted. If you willingly leave before that point you may be classed as intentionally homeless.
If it does get to the stage where your landlord gives you notice, take a copy in to the council so it can be added to your housing application. Depending on where you live, this may push you up the list.
Such a frustrating system. I hope something turns up for you.